Oilers coach Knoblauch sounds off on Stars coach's comments on Roope Hintz injury
Photo credit: Edmonton Oilers Raw
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch is sounding off on Stars coach Pete DeBoer for his comments suggesting Edmonton gets special treatment from the NHL.
Darnell Nurse delivered a forceful cross check to Hintz in Game 2, causing the important Stars' forward to exit the game with injury. Pete DeBoer thinks the NHL would handle it differently had the slash been against McDavid.
Oilers coach Knoblauch sounds off on Stars coach Pete DeBoer
Stars coach Pete DeBoer was clearly furious in his post game comments, suggesting that if McDavid were to take the same slash, it'd be called a 5 minute penalty - or that he gets special treatment from referees.
Well, does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, that it's not a 5 minute major? No.
- Pete DeBoer
- Pete DeBoer
Oilers coach Knoblauch had a short one on one interview with TSN today, where he refuted those comments entirely. Instead, Knoblauch said the NHL is against McDavid by making him play through more penalties.
To say that Connor McDavid gets special treatment. I've been coaching not 200 games for the Oilers and I haven't seen Connor get special treatment. The standard is higher for him.
I look at the powerplays drawn through the playoffs this year, and Connor's drawn 5. Dallas has 5 players that have just as many or more powerplays drawn than Connor McDavid. Which, I find that hard to believe.
I see how many times he gets slashed, hooked, through the regular season and playoffs. So I think the standard is actually against him.
- Coach Knoblauch
I look at the powerplays drawn through the playoffs this year, and Connor's drawn 5. Dallas has 5 players that have just as many or more powerplays drawn than Connor McDavid. Which, I find that hard to believe.
I see how many times he gets slashed, hooked, through the regular season and playoffs. So I think the standard is actually against him.
- Coach Knoblauch
All hockey fans have seen McDavid play through the insane amount of cross checks, hooks, and holds as slower players try to hold against the best player in the world.
And yet, as Knoblauch points out, McDavid has never been leading the NHL in penalties drawn. In fact, the Oilers have the lowest share of powerplay time of active playoff teams.
Plenty of Oilers fans have raised the fact that McDavid literally did get cross checked in the past like this. Mark Giordano gave a brutal slash to McDavid that led to an entire documentary about his road to recovery.
So in short, Pete DeBoer is clearly wrong here. Perhaps Nurse should've gotten a 5 to really stop these slashes, or a fine from player safety - but it's not like the Oilers are getting any special treatment for Connor McDavid. The refs are terrible for everyone.
| POLL | ||
MAI 24 | 1911 ANSWERS Oilers coach Knoblauch sounds off on Stars coach's comments on Roope Hintz injury Do you think the NHL gives McDavid special treatment? | ||
| Yes | 214 | 11.2 % |
| No | 1697 | 88.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
